QUICK CHARACTER CREATION

This guide uses the Edge of the Empire core rulebook only, and steps are outlined here in a
different order than in the books.

STEP ONE: CONCEPT AND BACKGROUND (P 36)

Determine your character’s concept, goals, personality and drive. These might have
mechanical impacts later, but for now just get a feel for what sort of person your
character will be.
Next, determine your character’s background. Where are they from, and how did they get
here? Choose from the following:
• Down and out – you’re from a humble background. Luke Skywalker, Rey, Han Solo.
• Middle class struggles – modest but comfortable background. Ahsoka Tano, Poe
Dameron.
• The high and mighty – you’re wealthy and in high standing. Leia Organa, Padme
Amidala.
• The outsider – you come from outside the galaxy’s normal societal hierarchies. Clone
troopers, Darth Maul, R2-D2.
Next, determine how you got here?
• Opportunity knocks – an opportunity was presented to you.
• A higher calling – you were drawn to serve a higher purpose.
• Enemies and antagonists – somebody wronged you the wrong way
• Failure of character – an inherent flaw in your character drove them in this direction.
• Wrong place, wrong time – pure dumb luck.
Consider whether your background is linked to another character’s background.

STEP TWO: PERSONALITY AND MOTIVATION (P 94)

What motivates your character? Choose one (or two, if you prefer) from the following.
AMBITION CAUSE RELATIONSHIP
Friendship Religion / Spirituality Place of Origin
Love The Weak / Charity Pet
Freedom Non-human Rights Childhood Friend
Fame Local Politics Comrades
Green Overthrow the Empire Sibling / Siblings
Status Crime Mentor
Expertise Emancipation Parents
Wanderlust / Novelty Droid Rights Extended Family / Clan
Power Capitalism Droid Companion
Religion / Spirituality Support the Empire Former Nemesis
STEP THREE: OBLIGATION (P 38)
Something in your past follows you, and impedes your life in some way. You must expend
time, money or resources into obliging this concept (or find a way to be free of it). Choose
from the following:
• Addiction – you’re addicted to something.
• Betrayal – you betrayed somebody, or they betrayed you.
• Blackmail – somebody is blackmailing you.
• Bounty – there’s a price on your head.
• Criminal – you have a criminal record.
• Debt – you owe someone a great deal.
• Dutybound – you a compelled to fulfill a duty.
• Family – your family needs you.
• Favor – you owe somebody a favor.
• Oath – you made an oath that dictates your thoughts and actions.
• Obsession – you have an unhealthy obsession that impacts your life.
• Responsibility – you have a strong sense of accountability to a person, place or thing.
Take 10 starting obligation (a measure of the strength of your obligation). You can choose
to take up to an additional 10 XP with any mixture of the following:
• + 5 starting XP (+5 obligation)
• + 1,000 starting credits (+5 obligation)
• + 10 starting XP (+10 obligation)
• + 2,500 starting credits (+ 10 obligation)
Consider whether your obligation works with another character’s obligation.

STEP FOUR: SPECIES (P 43)

Choose from the following:

SPECIES XP BR AG INT CU WI PR WT ST
Bothan 100 1 2 2 3 2 2 10+BR 11+WL
Droid 175 1 1 1 1 1 1 10+BR 10+WL
Gand 100 2 2 2 2 3 1 10+BR 10+WL
Human 110 2 2 2 2 2 2 10+BR 10+WL
Rodian 100 2 3 2 2 1 2 10+BR 10+WL
Trandoshan 100 3 1 2 2 2 2 12+BR 9+WL
Twilek 100 1 2 2 2 2 3 10+BR 11+WL

Species come with additional abilities as detailed in the core rulebook.

STEPS FIVE: CAREER AND SPECIALIZATION (P 53)
Human and droids are flexible and appropriate for most specialisations. They are
therefore not listed below.
CAREER SPECIALISATION SPECIES ROLE DESCRIPTION
Bounty Assassin Rodian Combat, Rogue. The
Hunter aggressive quintessential
assassin.

Gadgeteer Gand, Mechanical, Tech. Technology-

Trandoshan combat enhanced generalist

Survivalist Trandoshan Animal Explorer. Adapting to

control, harsh and wild
explorer conditions

Colonist Doctor Any Medic, Support. Heals and

support boost allies

Politico Twi’lek Politics, Diplomacy. Excels at

social social skills, the first
face.

Scholar Any Educator, Intellectual. Excels at

knowledge knowing things.

Explorer Fringer Any Piloting, Generalist. Jack of all

defensive trades of both the
skies and the streets

Scout Rodian, Explorer, Hunter. Tracking a

Bothan aggressive target, surviving and
adapting

Trader Twi’lek Merchant, Negotiator. Haggle

social and convince others,
the second face.

Hired Gun Bodyguard Wookiee, Support, Tank. Protect your

Trandoshan defensive allies, take damage.

Marauder Trandoshan, Aggressive, Melee. Fighter who

Wookiee combat excels at up close and
personal.

Mercenary Twi’lek, Combat, Ranged. Commander

Rodian leader of the battlefield
keeping at range, and
buffing your allies.
 CAREER SPECIALISATION SPECIES ROLE DESCRIPTION
Smuggler Pilot Gand Piloting, Aviator. All about
defensive flying, astrogation and
piloting.

Scoundrel Bothan Under cover, Han Solo. Charming

social and cool, the third face
but adapted for the
underground.

Thief Rodian Under cover Sneaky. A less damage

focused and more
stealth focused
assassin.

Technician Mechanic Any Mechanical Fixer. Fixes your ships,

your weapons, your
armour.

Outlaw tech Any Mechanical, Modder. The

criminal mechanic, but focused
on mods, droids and
scavenging.

Slicer Any Computers, Hacker. Focused on

under cover computers, hacking,
and blocking cyber
threats.

Your career and specialisation will give you twelve ‘career skills’, which cost less to train
and rank up. Of these twelve career skills, choose four from your career and two from
your specialisation to gain one rank in (droids choose six and three respectively). You can
choose a skill to rank up twice if it’s both a career and a specialisation skill.

STEP SIX: SPEND EXPERIENCE (P 92)

You can spend starting XP (from your species or from additional obligation) in any of the
four following things.
• Improving characteristics. Each additional rank costs 10 times the new rank. So
improving brawn from 2 to 4 will cost 70 XP – 30 to take it from 2 to 3, and then 40 to
take it from 3 to 4. You cannot go beyond rank 5 in character creation. This step can
only be done at character creation, so should reflect the majority of experience spent.
• Training skills. Each rank costs 5 times the rank (plus an additional 5 for non-career
skills), and like characteristics must be purchased sequentially. You cannot go beyond
rank 2 in character creation.
• Purchasing talents. Your specialization will give you a talent tree. Talents can be
purchased off that tree. You must move down the tree – a talent cannot be purchased
until all previous talents are also purchased. The cost depends on the talent – those at
the top cost less than those at the bottom.
• Learning new specialisations. A new specialisation can be purchased, which costs 10
times the number of total specialisations. So a second specialisation will cost 20 XP.
STEP SEVEN: GEAR (P 97)
You start the game with 500 credits, which can be increased by taking an additional
Obligation at step three. You can spend these on any non-restricted item from Chapter V
of the core rulebook. As an alternative to using your starting 500 credits, you can choose
to select a premade loadout. You can still use any additional funds from an additional
Obligation if you choose this loadout.
GENERIC ITEMS
Take all the following:
• Comlink (handheld)
• Utility belt
• Backpack
• Heavy clothing
WEAPON
Choose one of the following:
• Slugthrower rifle
• Shock goves
• Vibroknife
• Holdout blaster, with optional filed front sight attachment.
SPECIALIST PACK
Choose one of the following packs:
• Medic – Emergency medpac, hand scanner
• Explorer – Climbing gear, fusion lantern
• Mechanic – Tool kit
• Rogue – Synthetic standard neurotoxin, Disguise kit, Chance cubes (x10), Sabbac deck
• Tracker - Scanner goggles, breath mask, binders
• Grenadier – Stun grenade (x2), Frag grenade (x1)
• Slicer – Slicer gear
Details of all the above items are found in Chapter V of the core rulebook.

STEP EIGHT: DERIVED ATTRIBUTES (P 94)

• Wound threshold – from your species (+ Brawn).
• Strain threshold – from your species (+ Willpower).
• Defense – generally from gear, but sometimes from talents.
• Soak value – equals Brawn, and increased by gear.